Clamp-anchor.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1 1 o.3 O M SO m B H 0PM m P P A FIE-12'- No. 888,931. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 1.1907. K

SSSSSSSSSSSSS 2.

JQQJ QM/KIW UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ROBINSON, OF BANGOR, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROBINSON COMPANY, OF BANGOR;

MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CLAMP-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ROBINSON, of Bangor, in the county of Penobscot and State'of Maine, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Olamp-Anchors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

My invention relates to what may be termed a clamp anchor especially adapted to grip onto a rail for fastening thereto a cable, chain or other means of connection.

It often becomes necessary in railroad work to attach a cable or chain to a rail acting as a base of support. To do this the usual custom has been to wrap a chain around the rail and thus fasten a cable or other connection to the wrapped chain. To wrap a chain around a rail not only takes considerable time, both for wrapping and unwrapping the chain, but under some circumstances it is rather a dangerous expedient to resort to on account of passing trains. Then again when the road-bed is frozen it is an exceedingly difficult matter to apply the chain to the rail, to say nothing of the inexpediency of disturbing the roadbed at such a time.

The clamp anchor forming the subject matter of my invention overcomes all these difficulties above referred to and provides a means which may not only be quickly applied to or disconnected from a rail, but it is also designed to provide such means as will grip the rail with an increasing power of resistance in case there is any tendency for the anchor to slip.

The anchor can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the device in front elevation. Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 shows the anchor in side elevation. Fig. lshows a plan of the same. Fig. 5 shows a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings :A represents a portion of a rail of which a is the head and a the shank of the rail.

B represents the clamp anchor which body and enveloping the head of the rail on either side thereof are separate flanges or checks b b Of these the flange b is adapted to fit snugly against the side of the head of the rail and is provided with a projecting lip b which is adapted to fit underneath the head of the rail on one side thereof and preferably projects to contact with the shank of the rail.

The flange 6 depends from the body of the anchor at a point some little distance removed from the head of the rail, or in other words, so far removed therefrom that the anchor may by a lateral application be applied to the rail with the lip 6 extending under the head thereof as before described. By reason of the distance which separates the flange b from the head and shank of the rail there is therefore formed between such parts a socket b, which as may be seen by reference to Fig. 5, gradually narrows or contracts away from the forward end of the anchor. Such contraction is formed by gradually narrowing the body of the device from its forward end, as may be seen in Fig. 4. In the socket b is contained a wedge-shaped locking bar or key b which as may be seen in Fig. 5, is, like the socket in which it is contained, made gradually narrowing away from its forward end, or in other words, the end thereof corresponding with the forward end of the anchor. The locking bar If is held in place by means of a lip b which projects from the end of the flange b and fits into a recess or incision b made in the bar. This lip also affords means whereby the flange may grip the locking bar or wedge.

- The inner side or face of the locking bar 6 is made to fit snugly against the shank and under side of the head of the rail and moreover with a large contacting surface in order that a large degree of frictional resistance may be obtained between the bar and the rail. The outer side or face of the bar contacts with the ends of a plurality of threaded bolts b which extend through the flange b". In other words, instead of contacting with the inner surface of the cheek forming one side of the socket in which the locking bar 6 is contained, it bears against the ends of the bolts b on which account a slight space will separate the outer side or face of the locking bar from the adjacent inner side or face of the flange.

On the forward end of the anchor directly over the rail there is placed a projecting boss 5 To this boss is attached a clevis 5 by means of a pin 1). To the clevis b is adapted to be attached the cable or chain for which the clamp anchor secured to the rail furnishes a means of interposed connection.

The operation of the anchor is as follows: After the body of the anchor has been applied to rest squarely upon the rail with the flange b and lip 6 engaging one side thereof, the locking bar 5 is slipped in between the other flange b and the side of the rail, the lip I) acting to hold the locking bar primarily in place. At this time the bolts 1) are screwed so far into the flange b that the forward ends of the bolts will project slightly and a uniform distance forward from the inner side or face of the flange and the looking bar 5 will be interposed so far into its socket that it will contact on the one side with the rail and on the other side with the ends of these projecting bolts, so that, as said before, a slight space will separate the outer face of the locking bar from the adj acent inner side orface of the flange. The bolts are then uniformly tightened, by which stress the locking bar is pressed hard up against the side of the rail contacting with the shank thereof and under side of the head of the rail, as before explained. The anchor thus becomes firmly secured to the rail and by a connection which will withstand any ordinary strain upon it. In case the stress or strain becomes too intense so that there is develo ed a tendency for the anchor to slip, such sipping will be immediately arrested, for when the anchor begins toslip its tendency will be to draw over. the wedge-shaped locking bar N, which remains in a stationary position by reason of its frictional engagement with the side of the rail. As the body of the anchor draws over the locking bar. 5 it will not only become wedged thereon, but

the bar itself by such action will be forced more firmly against the side of the rail. Therefore inasmuch as the locking bar is wedged against the side of the rail with such force that it cannot slip and inasmuch, also, as the body of the anchor cannot draw over the locking bar, the effect is that the anchor becomes looked upon the rail with a degree of retention commensurate with the strain to which it is subjected.

To release the device it is only necessary to loosen the bolts 5 when the locking bar may be slipped out of its socket and the anchor removed from the rail. In this con nection it is to be observed that it is by reason of the locking bar having a releasable bearing that such release of the anchor is so expeditiously obtained. If the locking bar contacted with the irreleasable face of its adjacent flange then while the anchor would become firmly secured to the rail and moreover with a gradually increasing degree of retention as before described, it would be a difficult matter to disconnect it from the rail, but by having the locking bar engage with releasable surfaces or points the release of the locking bar and consequent unlocking of the anchor from the rail becomes a very simple matter.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A device of the character specified having a body portion adapted to be mounted lengthwise upon a rail, means whereby said body may connect with the rail beneath the head on one side thereof, a flange dependent from said body which when said device is in an operative position is adapted to assume a position removed from said rail on the other side thereof from the side aforementioned, a wedge adapted when said device is in an operative position to be located between said flange and the rail, said wedge extending longitudinally alongside said rail and formed in part to fit snugly beneath the head thereof, means for supporting said wedge from said flange, and releasable members extending through said flange and providing a releasable lateral bearing for said wedge.

2. A device of the character specified having a body portion adapted to be mounted lengthwise upon a rail, means whereby said body may connect with the rail beneath the head on one side thereof, a flange dependent from said body which when said device is in an operative position is adapted to assume a position removed from said rail on the other side thereof from the side aforementioned, a wedge adapted when said device is in an operative position to be located within a socket formed between said flange and the rail, said wedge extending longitudinally alongside said rail and formed in part to fit snugly beneath the head thereof, a lip proj ecting from said flange and fitting in a longitudinal recess formed in said wedge, and re leasable members extending through said flange to contact with the side of said Wedge providing a releasable lateral bearing therefor, substantially as described.

3. 4 A device of the character specified having a body portion adapted to be mounted upon a rail, a flange dependent from said body of the device and adapted when said device is in an operative position to envelop and grip said rail beneath the head on one side thereof, a flange dependent from said body of the device and adapted when said device is in an operative position to assume .a position removed from said rail on the other side thereof, a key comprising a Wedgeshaped member supported to lie when said device is in an operative position interposed between said removed flange and said rail beneath the head thereof, and a series of releasable members extending through said flange and providing a releasable lateral bearing for said key.

4. A device of the character specified comprising a body portion 1) adapted to rest upon a rail, a flange 6 de endent from said body of the device and a apted When said device is in an operative position to grip said rail upon one side beneath the head thereof, a flange b dependent from said body and adapted When said body is in an operative position to assume a position removed from said rail on the other side thereof, a Wedgeshaped member 6 supported by said flange b and interposed between the same and said rail beneath the head thereof, and a series of releasable members extending through said flange b and providing a lateral bearing for said Wedge-shaped member.

FRANK ROBINSON. 

